Over 500 Million Christians Face Legal or Socio-Economic Barriers to Bible Access, Report Finds

The Bible Access Initiative released its 2026 Bible Access List, an updated assessment of Bible availability in 106 countries. The report estimates that more than 500 million Christians are subject to legal or societal barriers, and an additional 125 million would like a Bible but cannot obtain one. Afghanistan ranks highest for “maximum restrictions,” with Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, Eritrea and Mauritania following, while Turkmenistan, Libya, Sudan and Iran are classified as having “extreme restrictions.”

A further group of nations face “severe” or “considerable” limits, and the analysis identifies the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and India as suffering the largest shortages of over 10 million Bibles each. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and China also show deficits of 5-10 million. Co-creators Wybo Nicolai and Ken Bitgood stress that persecution, extremist violence and poverty, as well as limited internet infrastructure, keep the Bible out of reach despite nominal availability. The initiative, partnered with Bible League International, Digital Bible Society, Frontlines International, The Voice of the Martyrs and YouVersion, aims to guide agencies and churches in targeting aid.